


A Rose by any Other Name

by Averno



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:56:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9688946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Averno/pseuds/Averno
Summary: Saw this idea on the internet and thought I'd give it a shot. "A supervillain and a superhero are roommates, but they don't know. Every day, they go out and do battle, and then they come back and take care of each other while lying about how they got all beaten up."





	

**Author's Note:**

> So Lena's Super villain name is Atomic Amaretto. Yes I know it sucks, and I'll gladly change it if anyone can think of something better, but I wrote this in forty minuets the night after downing one too many amaretto's myself so it is what it is. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Also sorry for hitting edit so many times but I had some weird computer issues on this

It’s five in the morning when Kara wakes up.   
  
At first she doesn’t know why, but then she hears a thud from the living room and the sound of a glass being dropped carelessly into the full sink.  
  
_Lena._ She thinks with a growl yanking herself out of bed. How many times was her roommate going to do this? Come home at some absurdly late hour and bang around loudly in the apartment as if she didn’t know that Kara had to be at work in less than two hours.   
  
Kara ripped open her door and stomped over to where Lena was bent over the fridge, tight jeans not distracting Kara from the fact that she was eating the Superhero’s leftover potstickers.   
  
“Ahem.”   
  
“Oh, Kara. Good morning,” Lena said as if she didn’t know that Kara lived there too. “You’re up early”   
  
Kara gritted her teeth. “Not intentionally.”   
  
Lena raised an eyebrow. “Hm. Well that sounds like a problem a good sleeping pill would fix, maybe you should look into that.”   
  
Kara opened and closed her mouth a few times, so upset she actually couldn’t find words.  
  
“Maybe something for that tied tongue as well” Lena smirked as she sauntered past Kara to her own room, shutting the door behind her with a final click.   
  
                                                                                               Xxxx  
  
It’d been a long fucking day to be a Supervillian. Lena limped to the wine cabinet, grabbed herself a full bottle of cab, because fuck it, diets don’t count on days when your super villain sidekicks lose the mega ray gun you spent weeks tunneling under the Ministry of Defense for.  
  
With her one good hand Lena twisted the cork off painfully, grabbing her favorite mug that said “Chillin’ like a Villain.”  
  
She let out a groan when she took her first sip. She was covered in dirt and there was a scorch mark in her new stilettos. But _god_ it felt good to have a drink.  
  
Picking the bottle up by the neck, Lena hobbled into the bathroom and began filling the tub with steaming hot water. Luxurious bubbles nearly spilled over the porcelain rim and Lena slipped in with a long sigh.   
  
She lay there for a minute, eyes closed, letting the water relax her sore muscles. She settled in a little more comfortably, sliding down till her face was just barely above the water line   
  
_God yes_  
  
Quack.  
  
The warm, relaxing feeling drained slowly out of Lena’s body. _The hell was that_. Lena opened her eyes painfully, reluctantly.  
  
Quack.  
  
_Kara._ Lena could’ve screamed. This was too much. She was a Supervillian for god’s sake. She made dastardly plans all day long. She carved her initials into the moon with a laser the size of the Hubble Telescope. She engineered the virus that sent cat videos to everyone in National City’s cellphone for a week. She left the read receipts on her messages and then didn’t respond for hours.  
  
A cute little rubber ducky in her evil bath was just too much.    
  
Lena narrowed her eyes at the floating bird, realizing with a sickening feeling in her stomach that it had a family of ducklings with it as well.   
  
Standing up with as much dignity as she had left, Lena wrapped herself in a black satin towel and grabbed the flock in her hand, tossing them out the window with a satisfying whoosh as they fell thirteen stories.   
  
_Good riddance_  
  
Dusting her palms off Lena stormed down the hallway to Kara’s room, knocking angrily on the door. But after a few minutes with no answer, Lena realized her bubbly roommate was still out.   
  
_Where does she even go?_ Lena wondered looking at the clock on her phone. _Its two thirty at night, is there a My Little Pony convention in town or something?_  
  
With a finial scowl Lena wobbled back to her bath, making a mental note to check the living room for any of those dollie throw pillows Kara seemed to love so much.   
  
                                                                                                    Xxxx  
  
“You’re getting blood on my table.”  
  
Kara looked up from where she had been sitting on the kitchen table trying to bandage the cut on her upper arm to see a scowling Lena standing in the doorway.  
  
_Perfect._ Kara sighed. It wasn’t enough that the Atomic Amaretto had managed to escape again, but now her horror of a roommate was back.   
Kara fumbled with the rolls of paper towels she’d been using to stop the bleeding, spilling a pile of the used napkins onto the floor in the process.   
  
“Sorry, I’ll clean it up let me just…” Kara knocked over the bowl of water sitting next to her, completely soaking Lena’s book that had been sitting on the table. “Oh shoot. Gosh Lena I’m sorry, I can fix it.”  
  
Lena sighed and shook her head, “Come here.”  
  
“Wha-what?”  
  
“You’re doing it wrong,” Lena pointed to Kara’s bicep. She walked over commandingly and grabbed the paper towels from a stunned Kara’s hands.   
  
“It’s bad enough you ruin my reading, but it’s too much to watch you massacre your own arm as well.” Then seeing Kara flinch, Lena’s tone softened, “You really shouldn’t use paper towels on a cut this deep, it’ll get stuck in the wound.” Lena dipped a washcloth in the bowl of water and began wiping away the blood from Kara’s arm in slow circles.   
  
Kara was surprised at how gentle Lena’s touch was. Her hand warm where it grazed against Kara’s skin. “Thank you.”  
  
Lena looked up and met Kara’s eyes, and the hero sucked in her breath because _wow,_ she had never noticed how absolutely stunning her roommate was.  
  
“Of course. What happened anyways?”  
  
“Oh. Erm. I tripped...into a dumpster ” Kara closed her eyes, _a dumpster?_ _  
_  
“Mmhhmm bad day?” Lena hummed, her fingers tracing over the small cut just beneath Kara’s eyebrow.   
  
The hero shivered. “N-no. Just you know me clumsy.”  
  
Lena’s eyes dipped, tracing their way from Kara’s hips to her eyes.   
  
_She’s checking for injuries_ the hero reminded herself sternly, pretending that the blush stealing up her cheeks was just a flush from the day’s exertions.  
  
“You’re going to need something a little bit bigger than a band aide for those. I have a first aide kit, just give me a minute,” Lena said smoothly, once her burning green eyes finished their inspection.   
  
“Oh, its ok I don’t really need it.” _Because I’m Supergirl and the sun heals me and in a few hours these scratches will be completely gone_ she finished mentally.   
  
Lena waved her off and disappeared down the hallway, only to reappear a minute later with a box full of medical supplies. Kara’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling because who knew her roommate had such an impressive collection of emergency wraps and stitching materials.   
  
“Prepared much?” she teased, not noticing the way Lena’s hands tensed as she wrapped gauze over Kara’s arm.    
  
“Well when one’s roommate insists on falling into dumpsters and what was it last week? Joining a water polo club? It’s good to keep some supplies on hand,” Lena deflected.   
  
Kara blushed, remembering how a fight with Amaretto aboard an oil tanker the other day had left her soaking wet and covered in unexplainable bruises. “Yah, turns out I’m not so good at that. Also I’m sorry I got water on your laptop” Kara mumbled.   
  
Lena closed her eyes. “It’s…fine. It was an accident” and Kara could practically hear the way her roommate was forcing herself to say the words from between her teeth. “And, I suppose its only fair.” She paused and looked over at the living room, saying quickly, “I got rid of your kitten picture the other day.”  
  
“You mean it didn’t fall off the wall and break?”  
  
“…..no.”  
  
Kara narrowed her eyes, “So you committed kitten-side.” She tried to hide the giggle in her voice but it nearly broke through at the end. Lena’s gaze snapped back to her, green depths sparkling but also confused, like she had expected Kara to react differently.   
  
“I don’t really think that’s a thing.” She said playfully, hesitatingly.   
  
“Phft. It is totally a thing. You could be arrested, go to jail, sent to the gulags”  
  
Lena raised one cocky eyebrow, “Is that so?”  
  
Kara nodded seriously. “Absolutely.” she leaned in and whispered in Lena’s ear in false earnestness, “But don’t worry, I wont tell anyone.”   
  
A small smile curved over Lena’s lips and Kara realized she had never really talked to Lena before, their interactions limited to a few grunts as they passed each other coming and leaving the apartment in the early hours of the morning.   
  
“Is that so? Well still. I’ll make it up to you.”  
  
And the way Lena said the words, lingering over the vowels and biting her bottom lips sent a wave of heat through the hero. “Oh wow Lena. I mean, no! No its totally ok.”  
  
Lena leaned back amused, her eyes dancing. She put a hand on Kara’s leg, “I was only joking.” But the way her fingers brushed lightly over Kara’s skin like she was trying to get a reaction out of the hero said differently.   
  
“I know. Duh. I didn’t think—I mean we’re all good. I mean it was my birthday the other week and everything so I’m all caught up on favors.” S _mooth Danvers, good recovery._   
  
“It was your birthday?” Lena said, suddenly serious   
  
“yah no one really came, so it wasn’t a big deal this year,” Kara rambled, noticing the funny look Lena gave her and how quiet the other woman suddenly got. “and its not like I expected you to know, we’ve only been roommates for like a month and I’m not a big present person—and oh! Lena your hand!”  
  
Kara stopped mid sentence as she lifted her roommate’s bruised hand to her own. “What happened?” The knuckles were black and yellow and two fingers were tapped together.   
  
Lena pulled her hand out smoothly and tucked it behind her, “My driver bumped into another car the other day and I accidently hit it against the dashboard.”  
  
“Do you need some ice or—“  
  
Lena chuckled softly and stood up, “I’m alright Kara, I’m off to bed, sleep tight when you get there.”  
  
Kara watched Lena disappeared, a goofy smile plastered on her face as she made her own way to bed.  
  
  
                                                                                                    Xxxx  
  
Supergirl slapped a pair of handcuffs over Atomic Amaretto’s arm. “Game’s up Amaretto.  You’re caught.”  
  
The Supervillian looked up at Kara and gave a devilish smile, “Little much for a first date don’t you think?”  
  
Supergirl rolled her eyes, not in the mood for the villain’s flirting today. She had a report for snapper due in an hour and she didn’t have time to banter with National City’s most corrupt criminal. “Obviously you’ve never dated me. Now surrender or I’ll have the DEO drag you in.”  
  
“My, my, no please? Where are your manners Supergirl, I’m sure you were raised better than that.” And with an effortless twist, Amaretto slipped out of the handcuffs, dangling them teasingly before Kara’s face.   
  
Kara scowled. “Fine play it that way.” She aimed a punch at the villain, sending the other woman flying backwards.  
  
They went back and forth, dodging each other’s attacks until Amaretto finally skidded across the street and pulled a piece of alien tech from her back pocket and aimed it at the hero.  
  
Kara picked up a bus, “Drop the…” she paused what was in the villain’s hands?  
  
The supervilian grinned, “atomic particle equalizer. It’s the only ray gun on earth capable of submerging whole landmasses under water.”  
  
“And why do you need that?”   
  
Amaretto shrugged as if bored, “to be honest I was going to hit Canada with it. After Justin Bieber and Carly Ray Jepson I feel like I’m just doing the world a favor.”  
  
“You have to be kidding.”  
  
The villain gave Kara a once over—twice. “If I was, I’d be dressed like you.”   
  
“You know, that arrogance is really an attractive quality.”  
  
“Hm, I was hoping you’d notice. It was either that or get my hair highlighted. I must say the arrogance is easier to maintain.”  
  
Kara gritted her teeth in annoyance and threw the bus at the villain only to see her sidestep the incoming vehicle easily. “What do you want?” she said in a frustrated voice, exhaustion and anger tingeing the words.  
  
Amaretto stepped closer, “Well I could start with you”  
  
Kara looked at her blankly. “Excuse me.”  
  
“Just think of it Supergirl, you, me, a bottle of 1804 Dom Perignon. I’d even let you tie me up this time” She paused and gave a smirk, edging to the left “Something I know you’ve been dreaming about for ages.”   
  
A small gold necklace slipped out of her black villain suit, and Kara stared at it for a moment, the jewelry somehow familiar.  
  
When Kara looked back up Amaretto was standing inches away, lips parted in a sly smile.    
  
“I—“ Kara forgot how to breathe.   
  
Amaretto gave a wink and snapped the reinforced handcuffs Kara had put on her earlier over the hero’s own hands, “I’ll take that as a maybe,” and with that she slipped out of the door, escaping Supergirl’s clutches once again.   
  
                                                                                                   Xxxx  
  
Kara floundered into the living room, black eye making it difficult to see, bruised ribs hard to breathe.   
  
She plopped onto the couch next to Lena, “you look like hell,” her roommate joked.  
  
Kara smiled. Ever since the other night when Lena had found her bandaging her arm on the kitchen table the two roommates and slipped into a comfortable pattern of patching each other up, neither ever asking too many questions about why Kara had suddenly joined so many sports teams or how Lena managed to bump into a club door every week. Lena had even gotten her a birthday present, an actual Monett painting that Kara would’ve been suspicious about how she’d gotten her hands on if she didn’t know her roommate was one of the wealthiest people in National City.   
  
Kara grinned. She looked over at Lena and noticed that she was gingerly sipping wine around a split lip. She chuckled, “so do you.”   
  
Lena turned to smile but winced. “Can I grab you a beer?”   
  
“Nah I’m set, I have a report due in the morning.”  
  
Lena shrugged, “suit yourself.” She scooted closer to Kara to lean over and grab the remote from the opposite arm rest.  
  
Kara swallowed and tried not to think about the way Lena’s body felt pressing into her own.   
  
With a finial stretch Lena snatched the remote, “What do you feel like watching tonight?” She settled back into the couch, thigh just barely touching Kara’s own.   
  
“Um the bachelor?”   
  
“Noo,” Lena tilted her head back and groaned in a way that sent Kara’s heart racing, “Can’t we do PBS or something?”  
  
“Nuh-uh. It’s my turn to pick tonight.”   
  
Lena rolled her eyes and sighed. “Ugh, I just cant say no to you,” and Kara hoped Lena didn’t hear the way the words caused her pulse to skitter.  
  
Lena flipped to the right channel, the show’s familiar tagline sounding out to them. They settled into a comfortable silence, Lena occasionally scoffing at “how silly these girls are,” her dismissive tone not quite hiding the rapt set of her body. When she mumbled something about “love at first sight my ass” Kara poked her in the ribs, earing a playful shove back from Lena that left the dark haired woman’s side pressed closely against the hero’s own.   
  
Kara tried to focus on the show, but her attention kept wandering to the woman next to her.   
  
But Lena didn’t seem to notice. She yawned and pulled her legs underneath her.    
  
_Play it cool Kara, just play it cool—_  
  
“Is this ok?” Lena asked softly, tucking herself into Kara’s side and resting her head against Kara’s shoulder.   
  
Kara’s heart practically exploded. “Yup,” she squeaked.   
  
Lena laughed and nipped at her pulse, earing a swear from Kara. “Hmm, you sure, you seem nervous?”  
  
Kara laughed awkwardly. “Nope, just you know invested,” she said pointing vaguely to the TV where the finial stages of the rose ceremony were being played out.   
  
“Oh” Lena frowned.   
  
Kara didn’t know what to say, but after a moment she felt a heavy weight on her shoulder and heard a soft snore echo up from Lena. She smiled; it wasn’t fair for anyone to be this cute.   
  
When the show finally ended, Kara gently shook Lena up, “Hey, Lena it’s over,” she whispered.  
  
Lena opened her green eyes lazily, reminding Kara vividly of a cat stirring from a nap. “Mmmm, I’m sorry for dozing off, how was it?”  
  
Kara gulped. “good.”  
  
Lena smiled, “good.”   
  
And because the night had made Kara stupid with happiness she reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Lena’s ear.   
  
Lena’s eyes widened.   
  
But before she could say anything Kara noticed a mark on her roommate’s neck. “Is that a burn?” she asked concerned, because _Rao_ , Lena hurt herself more than anyone she knew.  
  
Lena’s hand flew to her neck. “Uh, no….its, um. From the other night.”  
  
Realization dawned on Kara and she blushed fiercely, _Lena had a hickey_. She really shouldn’t be surprised, she knew Lena went out almost every night, and she was so beautiful what did Kara think would happen?  
  
Still Kara couldn’t quite hide the sinking feeling in her stomach. “Mind if we turn on the news?” she said a little to brightly.  
  
Lena was watching her with an indecipherable expression. “Kara….” She looked as if she wanted to say something.  
  
But Kara raised her good hand and gave a fake laugh, “Please Lena, you don’t have to explain anything to me. What you do with your free time is none of my business.” And before the other woman could say anything to that, Kara moved over and picked up the remote. She flipped the channel, “Mind if we watch the news really quick” she hurried.   
  
Lena stared at her and nodded.   
  
They were just in time to catch a highlight of Supergirl and Atomic Amaretto’s fight earlier that day.  
  
Kara tried to keep her face blank as she watched herself fly onto the scene, cape billowing. “Some fight huh?”  
  
Lena frowned, breaking her stare to glance at the TV quickly, “yah, Supergirl is quite the hero.” She reached out and gripped Kara’s thigh when a particularly nasty punch sent both hero and villain reeling. “I hate watching them like this” she murmured.   
  
A wave of guilt crashed over Kara. Of course Lena hated to see violence. She picked up the other woman’s hand and swirled tiny circles over her knuckles. “I don’t know what Amaretto has against Supergirl.”  
  
Lena looked at Kara, surprised, “What do you mean?”  
  
Kara waved her hand around in the air, “All these bank robberies and ridiculous schemes. Its like she’s trying to find Supergirl.” Kara dropped her hand, so caught up in the show before her she didn’t realize she’d placed her palm on Lena’s thigh and was lightly rubbing her fingers over the other woman’s warm skin.  
  
Lena gave a nervous laugh, “Oh well, maybe she likes their banter?”  
  
Kara scowled, “No its like she’s in love with her or something, she actually lingers at crime scenes until Supergirl shows up.”   
  
Lena choked on the wine she had been sipping. Kara looked over confused and then realized her hand was three fourths of the way up Lena’s leg. “Oh Lena I’m sorry.”  
  
“No. Don’t stop?” Lena said in a thick voice that sent shivers down Kara’s spine.  
  
“Lena, I-“ Kara’s breath caught.  
  
Lena leaned in closer, putting her hand over Kara’s own.  
  
_“….Atomic Amaretto almost escaped when Supergirl threw her into a  window” the newscaster rumbled in the background, TV cutting to an image of Amaretto emerging with a split lip._  
  
Kara barely heard it.  
  
“Kara,” Lena whispered and moved so that she was now straddling the hero.   
  
She ran a hand over Kara’s face, through her hair, her breath warm and faintly smelling of red wine.   
  
Kara’s eyes locked with Lena’s, her injured hand slipping behind Lena’s hips.   
  
“ _Supergirl flew from the scene with what appeared to be an injured right knuckle...”_  
  
Lena leaned her forehead against Kara’s.   
  
Kara’s eyes dipped from Lena’s lips to the necklace just hanging above Lena’s shirt.  
  
“See something you like?” Lena husked, her lips parted, her body thrumming against Kara’s own.  
  
And Kara couldn’t stop herself any longer, her whole body on fire with the need to feel Lena arch against her, to catch the other woman’s lips against her own.   
  
The hero surged up and pressed her lips to Lena’s, hearing the other woman moan into the kiss.  
  
Lena pushed against her, trying to go slow but utterly failing when Kara tugged her tighter.   
  
Kara moved her mouth down to Lena’s neck, kisses burning against the other woman’s skin and causing the dark haired woman to sigh in a way that Kara wished would never stop.   
  
Lena’s hands fumbled with her shirt buttons as Kara trailed down to Lena’s pulse…  
  
_“…But Amaretto was also hit by a Supergirl’s heat vision. The hero just scorching the villain’s neck.”_  
  
Kara froze just underneath Lena’s jaw, in the same instant as the other woman’s hands tensed on her back as her fingers scrapped over the soft blue fabric of the Super-suit Kara had forgotten she was wearing.  
  
The hero pulled back and stared at Lena, realizing suddenly where she had seen the other woman’s necklace before.  
  
She looked into Lena’s lust glazed eyes to see realization dawning in them as well.   
  
“Oh” was all Kara could say before Lena leaned back and bit her bottom lip.  
  
“So….Supergirl, how about that date?”  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Just some quick editing to fix the more glaring spelling errors--thanks to everyone who pointed them out. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for your comments, I've been smiling ridiculously all morning. You guys are the best and way too sweet!!! As for a sequel...if I hear any good ideas i might run with it


End file.
